NEACH Announces Winners of the 2025 NEACH Excellence Awards

Annual awards recognize the individuals and organizations driving progress in payments - Paymentus, Stukent, Ellafi Federal Credit Union, and Navigant Credit Union

BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the New England Automated Clearing House (NEACH) named the winners of its annual NEACH Excellence Awards, celebrating exemplary leaders in the payments space transforming the industry through visionary leadership, cutting-edge products, and meaningful service. Exclusively run by NEACH, the awards represent one of the area’s highest distinctions for the individuals and organizations shaping the future of financial services.

This year’s award winners include:

• Big Ideas in Innovation Award
  The NEACH Big Ideas in Innovation Award recognizes the outstanding contribution of organizations that are transforming the financial industry and payments. The award covers three categories: efficiency, advancement, and security. This year’s recipient is Paymentus, which enables financial institutions to connect with billers in real time through its proprietary Instant Payment Network.

• President’s Award
  The President’s Award recognizes an organization that has made significant achievements in the innovation, development, implementation, or advancement of electronic payments for the benefit of the payments industry. The President’s Award this year goes to Stukent for their scalable work to address financial education by teaching young people practical money skills through simulation.

• Rising Star Award
  The Rising Star Award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the innovation, excellence, implementation or promotion of electronic payments. This year, Mazie McGill, Compliance and Fraud Prevention Manager, at Ellafi Federal Credit Union was awarded the honor for her leadership in the roll-out of instant payments as well as her astute guidance in fraud prevention.

• Community Impact Award
  The Community Impact Award honors a company making a significant contribution to their community through time, actions, talents, dedication, and/or resources. Navigant Credit Union won this year’s award for their commitment to going beyond traditional banking to support local families, businesses, and nonprofit organizations.

“For more than five decades, NEACH has shone a spotlight on the innovation, dedication, and leadership driving real progress,” said Sean Carter, AAP, President and CEO, NEACH. “Each of this year’s Award recipients exemplifies the values and forward-thinking spirit that define our industry, and we’re proud to recognize their outstanding contributions to the payments community.”

This year’s honorees were recognized during a special awards ceremony on May 19, held as part of NEACH’s annual Payments Management Conference. For more information on the winners, to access conference session recordings, or to explore other education opportunities, visit neach.org.

About NEACH

The New England Automated Clearing House (NEACH) is a non-profit association that helps members originate and receive ACH transactions, and provides products, services, education, and marketing to increase the acceptance, use and quality of electronic transactions. For more information or to join NEACH, visit neach.org.